On Fri, 8 Sep 2000 chosdad@c... wrote:
> Said another way, if Pavarotti's production and David Daniel's
> production from G4 to C5 are both to be classified as "head voice" I
> would argue that the classification method is not useful in
> distinguishing certain aspects of vocal registration. As I have read
> in interviews with Mr. Daniels and other counter-tenors, as well as
> my own sensations, the tenor production in that area does *not*
> involve a sense of switching to a different voice, whereas the
> counter-tenor production does.
I agree. The notion that chest-head are on a continuum and that the singer
should not feel a discrete transition between the two registers is only
valid for the tenor head voice. Most mezzos I know have a very clear idea
of their yodel-point... the listener may not hear the shift, but she can
feel it. IMO, a mezzo's head voice is functionally distinct from what we
call tenor head voice.
Hard to describe this phenomenon, but a mezzo can decide where to make
this particular transition so that a particular run does not cross
awkwardly over her "break". I do not believe tenors really think about
things this way. Can anyone verify this?
I *always* know which of the two registers I am in, unless I am singing
ppp. I can be in chest with heady quality or head with chesty quality, but
it's still one or the other. Ladies (esp contraltos and mezzos), is this
true for you too? Can you consciously decide where to switch?
Just as a for-instance, I hear a distinct shift at E4 or so in Anne Sofie
von Otter's lyric mezzo. Many lyric sopranos don't ever cross the bridge,
since they usually only have to sing down to C4 or so, and can get away
with singing only in head and not have to deal with this business.
-Tako
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